The Month Ahead
by GS Dragono
Summary: After the fateful operation at Caduceus Europe, Angie decides to give Derek a visit... [Oneshot][Derek x Angie][Cowritten with Picup] Angie written by myself, Derek and Naomi by Picup.


A groan came from the bed inside the white, wallpapered room of Caduceus Europe. Dr. Derek Stiles had just come back from his trip that the anesthesia took him. He cringed at the burning sensation his chest gave off, as he groaned once more.

His dark, copper eyes narrowed, as he tried to focus on one spot on the wall. He finally came into focus, as he glanced around the room he was in, memories of the moments before flooding into his mind. He attempted to sit up, cringing again as he did so.

"That's right… I-I was infected with GUILT…"

He muttered to particularly no one, as he stared at the white sheet that covered his body. He shuddered involuntarily, thinking about what would have happened if Dr. Naomi Kimishima was there to take the GUILT out of him.

He shook his head, he shouldn't think about morbid thoughts like that – the storm was over, and the calm had just begun.

He slightly grinned at that thought, it would be a short calm though, and it was likely that Caduceus Europe would throw him into turmoil.

The clicking of footsteps on a hard floor sounded through the halls as Angie strode through, writing more information on her clip board. She was done assisting Dr. Kimishima with her rounds for the day, checking off each GUILT patient they had to deal with.

Well… Not every GUILT patient.

Angie's steps slowly halted at the thought. She sighed. Even though Derek wasn't one of the patients assigned to her, she wanted to know if everything was going ok.

"Better safe than sorry…" She muttered to herself, as the clicks of her shoes against the floor resumed.

She was probably worrying for nothing. Dr. Kimishima was an excellent surgeon. Nearly as good as Derek! If not at that level!

Angie shook her head slightly. Her attempts at stomping out her worry were futile. In fact… It almost made her more eager to assure herself that Derek was ok. Why was she so worried anyway?

. . . Ok, stupid question.

The nurse's train of thought was interrupted by quiet giggling around the corner. As she rounded the bend in the hall, the giggles stopped immediately, the air filling intensely with glares. Angie's own eyes narrowed slightly.

It was them.

Gossip hounds. Rumor spreaders. Chatter boxes. After-high school preps. All synonyms for one thing: Caduceus Europe nurses. Their mouths widened to let snide remarks fly, to try and make it clear that the war was not over.

It only took Angie a second to figure out what they were talking about, and a fraction of that time to snipe their comments down with her own. Without sparing them a second glance, Angie strode from the witless nurses, smiling to herself. Ahhh, education. It sure had its advantages.

Angie never understood those nurses, and figured she never will. Most of Caduceus Europe's staff seemed occupied with the latest gossip and trying to secure dates. And unfortunately. . . Not all of the nurses were girls.

Nurse Thompson involuntarily shivered. The next Caduceus Europe member to try and ask her out was going to end up on the floor unconscious and with a terrible migraine.

Angie shoved the thoughts out of her head as she approached her destination. There it was; that fluttering worry again. That worry that something had gone wrong, that they missed something, that someone had messed up. She sighed deeply, opening the door quietly, expecting the doctor to be sleeping. She blinked in surprise.

"Derek?"

Derek shifted in his seat on the bed, just getting use to having control over his limbs again. He winced, trying to get use to the pain – it was more or less likely that it would be there for a couple of days.

Surgery had more effect on the body then he had ever known. Now he knew how the patient felt after it. His mind had left that trail of thought, as it kept referring back to his discussion with Dr. Kimishima.

"Angie…"

He mumbled out loud, not knowing that the said nurse was actually standing at the door way to the room he had occupied.

Before she left the room with Director Miller and Dr. Owen, he saw the tears well up at the corner of her eyes, and his stomach had twisted slightly during that time, going along with the fiery pain in his chest. He remembered it unknotting when he talked with Dr. Kimishima.

That's right. She was stronger then he was… His thoughts soon started to think on how well she handled with his operation...

If some one were to get a look at him right now, he would be in deep thought, like he was trying to do the healing touch in a dire situation – and that usually meant he blocked out the outside world, like he was doing right now with the occupant standing at the doorway.

Angie had tensed slightly as she caught the sound of her name, but soon relaxed as she spied the infamous look of concentration on his face. She stood there idly for a few seconds, wondering if she should make her presence known. The nurse had no idea what he was thinking about, and how deep he was into the thoughts. After all, she had only wanted to know if he was alright...

Angie's composure faltered a moment under an unexpected flood of emotion. She snapped back into her composure almost instantly, and decided to press on.

"Dr. Stiles?"

He heard the presence of his name being called, as it broke his train of thought up. He blinked a couple of times, before glancing over to his side to see who came into the room.

His face slightly reddened at who it was, as he looked away quickly. How long had Angie been standing there for? Did she hear her name from him? His stomach had twisted similar to when he talked about her with Dr. Kimishima before his operation.

He slightly cringed again, just forgetting for one moment that his chest was still in pain. He did his best to hold it in to himself, so Angie wouldn't have to see him like that. Even though…

He mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't hold the nurse up like he had already done.

"O-Oh… A-Angie, I didn't see you there…"

He finally said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice as he said that, nervously chuckling out loud.

The wince of pain didn't escape the nurse's ever-so-observant eyes. None-the-less, she gave a slight smile at his antics. Angie took a few steps into the room.

"How are you feeling, Doctor?" She asked, a trace amount of relief in her voice.

Derek had seemed to be able to push back his slightly reddening face, as he resumed his slightly tanned color. He tried to give his best smile, but he knew if he did it too much, Angie might be able to tell he was lying.

"I-I'm fine…" He stated at first, before slightly sighing. "I have been better though... I know how a patient feels now after I cut them open…"

Angie nodded a confirmation. She could feel a lull in the conversation threatening to take over, and she didn't want to leave yet. "Hopefully you'll be doing better soon."

Derek shifted a bit in the bed, holding his chest slightly as he did so (making sure he didn't move the bandages and stitches so it wouldn't open up and bleed). He nodded. "Yeah, I guess this is almost like a vacation for me, huh?" He said, chuckling dryly now. It was vain attempt at trying to start a conversation with Angie – even though, he knew she had duties to attend to.

Angie giggled slightly, all too aware of the blunt truth of her next statement. "It's probably the closest to one either of us will see for a while." She paused, pondering the subject. "Although… I'd rather not go though this again."

Derek rubbed the back of his head, nodding at Angie's last statement. "Yeah…" Was all he said, not sure what else to say. "W-Why don't you sit down…? U-Unless you have other duties to attend too…" He suggested, trying his best to be polite in his current situation.

If Tyler was here right now, he would stand off to the side and laugh at Derek. He could hear it now, 'That's not how you pick up a girl, Stiles! Sheesh, you really didn't learn a thing in medical school, now did you?' Derek's face slightly reddened at that thought, good thing Tyler wasn't here…

Angie nodded, her own face reddening slightly when Derek's did. She sat at the foot of the bed. "Actually, I'm done assisting Dr. Kimishima for the day. All I really have to do now is put up with the rest of the staff." The last part happened to be more of a dreaded notation to herself than anything.

Derek laughed slightly, "The staff isn't that bad here, is it?" He asked, grinning slightly now. He thought the staff was kind of friendly around here, even though, some of the nurses were giving him odd looks before he was diagnosed with GUILT.

"Well…" The nurse began. "Most of them are actually pretty nice. Some are just…" Angie searched for the nicest, yet truthful, way she could describe the gossiping staff. "….Narrow minded, I guess. If they get on one subject, they never seem to drop it."

Derek had listened to every word she said, grinning slightly. "I would have never thought..." He said after she was done, still slightly grinning. He shifted a bit more in his bedside, starting to waver slightly, his body was still exhausted from surgery - so in a way, he shouldn't actually be sitting up... yet.

Angie opened her mouth to respond to his comment when his wavering caught her eye. She decided that avoiding that subject was probably for the better. "Are you sure you're alright? This isn't too tiring, is it?"

Derek blinked, placing his hands behind him gently so he wouldn't waver as much any more. He attempted to give Angie a reassuring smile, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, before adding under his breath, "Maybe I shouldn't have sat up so quickly..."

"If you say so, Doctor." She said. Her eyes stated she didn't believe a word of it.

Derek gave a shaky smile, moving a hand up behind his head, and laughed quietly. He knew that look Angie gave him; it was one that he got use too. To be honest, he wasn't actually sure how long his body would last until he collapsed of exhaustion. "You don't believe me?" He asked, trying to sound dejected.

She frowned, before she dodged the question and the lightest look of concern entered her eyes. "Dr. Stiles, you just got out of surgery. You probably shouldn't be sitting up yet…" Angie almost instantly regretted her words. True, she did want Derek to be well soon, but that meant she had leave if he did decide to rest.

He knew the truth behind those words, and couldn't exactly say he was fine. He knew she saw him waver on his bed. "I guess your right..." He sighed as he said that. The words, 'Can you stay with me?' popped up in his mind, and he blushed at that, turning slightly away from Angie at the moment.

The nurse couldn't stop from feeling slightly crestfallen as he looked away. Attempting to hide her disappointment, Angie tilted her head slightly at Derek's behavior. "Is something wrong?"

Derek didn't exactly look at Angie that moment, as he tried to find the words to say to her. His mouth moved, but words wouldn't form. "U-Uhm... I-It's nothing." He said after a moment of silence, pushing away the thought he had earlier.

"Oh, ok…" Angie glanced dejectedly towards the door, then back at Derek. "I guess I should go see if Dr. Kimishima needs help with anything…" She said with a sigh, hesitantly standing.

"W-Wait..." Derek said suddenly. He wanted to add a 'Don't Go', but he was afraid that it might scare Angie away. Derek shifted in his bed, "I-I mean... if you're off duty..." He was almost rambling off - something that he must've learned from Mary Fulton, his old assistant.

The faintest blush etched its way across Angie's face at Derek's sudden reaction. None-the-less, she nodded, sitting back down again. "As long as you aren't exhausting yourself."

Derek had a tinge of red on his face, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah... Thanks, Angie..." He said quietly, allowing the silence to loom over them.

Although the nurse had never really been that fond of silences, it was oddly comfortable. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Ah, there you are Miss Thompson. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Angie turned her head to the doorway. Another staff member stood there. Most would even describe his as handsome- Dark, neatly groomed hair, dark eyes, and slightly deep but pleasant voice. Angie recognized him as one of Dr. Kimishima's regular assistants. They had met before and he seemed polite enough…

She turned to Derek. "I'll be back in a second." Angie stood up and followed the assistant out of the room. Derek glanced up at the new comer, blinking at the man for a moment. He had seen him around once or twice in the hall ways, but that was all.

The surgeon nodded when Angie stepped out of the room, pushing away at some 'other' thoughts that invaded his mind. Derek listened to the quiet mumbles of their conversation, not being able to understand what they were talking about. There was a long, silent, almost awkward pause, before Dr. Kimishima's assistant gave a small startled yell. Something screeched slightly against the smooth floor as it slid, followed by a not-so-quiet crash into the hall wall. Derek's jaw nearly dropped as he heard the crash against the wall.

Angie briskly stepped into the emergency ward room again, smiling at Derek. "Sorry about that." She said as the nurse resumed her seat.

He blinked once more as Angie walked back into the room, smiling. "Was… there a problem…?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"No, not at all. He just wanted to know something." She replied simply.

Derek shifted slightly, giving a nervous smile. "I-I see..." He said, leaving it at that. Maybe he shouldn't prod to deep into the little chat the assistant and Angie were having. He glanced out the window, "It's... really nice in Europe... huh?" He asked, switching to another topic.

Angie glanced through the window also. "Yeah, it is." She paused. "We're going to be here for a while. I guess we better get used to it… I still prefer being home though."

"Yeah... We still have one whole month ahead of us, since we have that conference to attend too..." Derek sighed, he started to miss home a bit - but then again, he would have to face the plane to get home. "I'm some what looking forward to returning back home, even though, I know there is a pile of unfinished paperwork just waiting for me..." He laughed dryly at that.

Angie giggled at that. "It would help if you didn't slack off on it all the time though." Despite her usual argument, the light note in her voice said she meant little by it.

"H-Hey! I-I don't slack off all the time!" Derek argued, a slight embarrassed tone to his voice, even though, he laughed a bit afterwards. "We have… come along way haven't we?" He mumbled after they were done, suddenly feeling a bit nostalgic after being reminded of his laziness.

Angie nodded. "It's almost been a year, hasn't it?" She smiled gently at the memories, still glancing out the window. "You're really changed, Dr. Stiles. From worrying about a symposium to being known in the entire medical community."

Derek sighed at the nostalgia, agreeing with Angie. "Yeah… One whole year we've been together…" He said, even though, you could always take what he said a different way, but that's another matter.

Angie was currently trying to keep her mind of the many interpretations of that statement. She glanced downward to the floor.

"And hopefully more, thanks to Dr. Kimishima..." There was a note of genuine thanks in her voice.

Derek lightly blushed at that comment. "Yeah..." He paused for a moment, taking in some air. "Angie... Y-You don't have to answer this... but… what did I put you through...?" He asked quietly, even though he didn't except an answer from her.

Angie looked down, while staring at nothing in particular. She was silent for a long time, feeling every emotion flood back to her. The nurse remained silent for a long time. Derek waited patiently for her response, his copper eyes lingering on her. His stomach had twisted again, as she said nothing. He then heard her, but just barley.

"I thought you were going to die…" Angie's voice was scarcely audible.

"Angie..." He started quietly, "I-I'm still here... I'm... not dead. I'm... here... for you." The last part came out in more of a mumble.

"You… have no idea how close you were to… dying…" Angie couldn't bear to say the last word any louder than a whisper. Her hands clenched as tears began to well in her eyes again. She could feel herself tense at very thought of loosing him.

"Angie..." Derek moved the best he could closer to her, his hand placed on her shoulder to comfort her. "I-I'm sorry..." He apologized, his eyes full of genuine worry for the nurse.

Angie said nothing. Slowly, her hand came up and lightly grasped the hand on her shoulder, in self reassurance that he was actually there.

Derek gave a half smile, as he squeezed her hand gently, as to second that he was there. He shifted closer, "Angie... I'm here, for you." He mumbled, more confidence behind his tone now.

Tears still in her eyes, Angie smiled slightly, gripping his hand tighter. "Thank you… Derek." She whispered, dropping her usual formality.

Derek didn't reply. He shifted closer, and pulled her closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. "You don't have to worry about it." He mumbled softly into her ear.

Angie shifted to lay her head gently on his chest, mindful as to not lay on his stitches.

Derek held her closer to him, sighing contently. "You... don't have to leave do you?" He asked quietly, propping his chin up on the top of her blonde hair.

"I will have to leave sometime…" She said reluctantly. Angie glanced up at him, hints of that I-know-what's-best look in her eye. "And you will have to rest soon." Despite her statement, she laid her head back on Derek's chest. "I… can come back though."

Derek reluctantly sighed, holding her a bit more tightly. "Yeah, I guess..." He mumbled, just listening to their steady breathing. "Later... huh..." He muttered quietly, slightly smiling now.

Angie relaxed into the embrace further. She could hear his heartbeat; strong and steady.

Derek sighed contently once more, staring up at the ceiling. He was about to say something to Angie, until a shout of commands were stringed outside. Wait, wasn't that…?

"Nurse Thompson there is---"

The door had opened, as Dr. Naomi Kimishima was stepping into the room, she blinked soon after as she saw the scene out in front of her. A small grin was on her face, as she flicked back a strand of silver hair.

"My, I'm not interrupting something am I?" She asked, smiling slightly now. Derek reluctantly pulled away from Angie, chuckling nervously, as his face turned a light crimson. Naomi sighed, rolling her eyes in fake annoyance, "So that's why the nurses were all gathered around the door way."

Angie had also pulled away from Derek, blushing slightly. She snapped back into reality at the 'nurses' comment. "They're what?" She could hear the scurrying of footsteps away from the door. Mentally, Angie snapped. Oh, it was personal now.

Miraculously she kept her composure. "You really should do something about them, Dr. Kimishima." She said as she picked up her clip board from the bed. Angie stood, skimming across her notations about various patients before handing it to Naomi. "At least make sure they're rounds are done before they start gossiping."

Naomi took the clip board, skimming through all the notes the nurse made. "I suppose I should, even though, no matter how many times I tell them too, they won't listen... Maybe I should get Director Miller to do something about them." She stated, before sighing after. "It won't benefit us though; we would be firing off most of the community." She said lightly, it was a joke in a way – but true.

She finished scanning the notes, placing it under her arm. "Thank you Angie. If you have time," She paused, giving a mischievous look over at Derek, but then back to the nurse. "Would you check on the patients on the third floor, down the first hall way? We injected a new medication, and we need to see how they're doing."

"They're barely benefiting you as it is," Angie muttered quietly, before continuing. "Alright, I'll do that."

Naomi nodded, laughing softly at Angie's comment about her staff. "Alright then, I have surgery in half an hour. Derek, make sure you rest." She scolded lightly, before heading out of the room. She glanced back, smiling, "Oh, and Angie, it was nice of you to knock my assistant out for the rest of the day." She added, laughing once more, before leaving the room.

Derek blinked, "Er… Angie…?" He asked, wondering what Naomi was talking about.

"He had it coming." Was all she said on the subject. Angie glanced over at Derek, smiling a little. "You should rest, Doctor."

Derek sighed, "I guess your right..." He reluctantly said, falling back onto the bed. As his head hit the pillow, he could feel his eyes start to become like brick, but he fought to stay awake, just for a few more minutes.

"Sleep well, Dr. Stiles." Angie said pleasantly as she walked towards the door. She glanced back at him as she set her hand on the handle.

"Nnhnn... Good night, Angie." Derek replied sleepily, before yawning and rolled over onto his side. His eyes shut, and he fell fast asleep.

Naomi had patiently waited outside of Dr. Stile's room. Nurses passed by her, and she gave them a cold glare, as in to say, 'no stopping to talk – get back to work'.

Angie smiled slightly, exiting the room and shutting the door quietly. She looked up. "Oh, you're still here Dr. Kimishima?"

Naomi glanced slightly down at the young nurse, nodding. "I was waiting for you, Nurse Thompson; I thought we could walk together to the next floor since the operation I'm doing is taking place." She reasoned, making sure the nurses went back to work.

"Ok." She replied, moving in the direction the duo were heading. Angie couldn't shake the slightest suspicion Naomi was up to something.

Naomi headed down the hallway, passed yet another group of gossiping nurses. She quietly, but heavily sighed. "They'll never learn…" She muttered to herself, before focusing most of her attention on the nurse beside her. "You were in Stiles' room for a while. Is he okay?" She asked suddenly, smirking.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah." She responded, looking away from Naomi slightly, the faintest blush on her cheeks.

Naomi laughed, as she watched the nurse turn away from her. "You know, you and Stiles have been the topic that the gossip groups are usually talking about before I break them up." She stated/almost/ implying something, but hid it behind her smirk.

Angie quelled her rising annoyance. "Yeah… I've kind of noticed…"

Naomi laughed softly at Angie. The poor girl. She opened the door to the stair case. "I assume that's why my assistant was unconscious in the hallway after talking to you, right?"

Angie started on the stairs. "…Yes." The delayed response was in annoyance of remembering the talk. "You really should work on finding better staff, Dr. Kimishima."

Naomi followed right behind her, laughing at the girl once more. "You might have to go to Director Miller for that, I only handle with the operations." She joked lightly. "I don't mean to prod, but what were you doing in Stiles room? I mean, you weren't assigned to him." She asked, giving her a quizzical, almost stern look.

Angie answered Naomi simply. "I had completed my rounds, and I wanted to see if Dr. Stiles was ok." The nurse answered almost icily.

"Is that so..." Naomi trailed off, smiling as they stepped onto the third floor. "I suppose, Nurse Thompson that you and Dr. Stiles had a pleasant chat... Or shall I say," She paused for a moment, her voice becoming quieter, "A nice snuggle, hmm?"

The nurse in question could feel her face heating up. "You're just as bad as they are, Doctor."

Naomi smiled, "In a way; But I can't help it if it's the truth." She said, before heading down the separate hall way from the hall way that she assigned Angie from. "I will talk to you later, Nurse Thompson." And with that, she turned into the prep room, leaving Angie to her duties.

Angie glared at Naomi's retreating back. She huffed and spun on her heels and strode down the corridor. It was going to be a loooooong month.

Even so, Angie couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her face.


End file.
